A donkey’s journey through the countryside is the through-line of this absorbing Polish drama
Freed from the circus, a lone donkey wanders the Polish countryside in search of his former owner, and on his journey explores the breadth of humanity’s capabilities for love and cruelty. It’s the kind of idea that might sound like something you watched as a child; a short film, probably animated, that you might watch with your family around Christmas. EO is… not that film – and that’s where its biggest strengths lie. No, Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski’s latest, which finally hits UK cinemas in early February, is something of a fable for grownups: snapshots of humanity seen through the eyes of one of nature’s most innocent animals, who is subject to both the best and worst of human emotions on his journey. It is decidedly not a film for the kids…
It’s worth noting early on that EO is not the easiest watch if you’re an animal lover. It’s a film full of wonder and beauty as EO, the titular donkey, explores the world around him – but at the same time it refuses to shy away from darkness and man’s capacity for cruelty. There are several scenes of deliberate animal cruelty which, although entirely simulated, are particularly nasty to watch unfold. Indeed, their brutality is part of the point: EO is a film born out of a love of animals, and in many ways it’s a plea for us to treat them better. The decision to have a donkey as the film’s protagonist is not a passive one, but an active choice.
There’s a childlike innocence to the donkey that’s more present than in other animals – what harm could a donkey do to a person? There’s a reason we see EO playing with special needs children at one point in the film… they’re sweet creatures, and you’d have to be a special kind of nasty to hurt one. Well… let’s just say EO meets plenty of nasty people over the course of the film.
Thankfully it isn’t all doom and gloom, as EO also meets some lovely people. As the film progresses, you can feel it weighing up the good and the bad of the world before deciding which wins out. There’s a deliberation to it before its ending: every good person EO meets has a counterpoint, someone to balance out the scales. It’s fascinating to see our world through the eyes of an animal like a donkey – EO has no connection to anyone he meets, and yet is equally embraced, loved, hated and abused by different people. Humans are a fickle species, the film seems to say: some of us are caring and nurturing, while others are angry and hurt, and take those emotions out on others without the ability to fight back.
A segment in which EO observes a Sunday league football match is a perfect example of this: he’s believed by one side to be a lucky charm, and by the other to be a bringer of doom, the reason for their team’s loss. In reality EO is neither of these things, but to the people around him that doesn’t matter – what matters is what they believe him to be.
In actuality, some of the film’s strongest moments are arguably without any people at all. From a purely filmmaking standpoint, there’s a beauty inherent in scenes of EO just wandering the countryside. There’s admittedly a charm to many of the human interactions, but where Skolimowski really gets to shine as a director is in EO’s solo scenes. Everything works in these moments, from shot composition and camera movements (courtesy of DP Michal Dymek) to moody, atmospheric lighting and Pawel Mykietyn’s booming, ethereal score, and it all combines for moments of powerful, purely visual storytelling. To tell a story without dialogue is no mean feat, but Skolimowski and his team prove themselves capable time and time again.
This is a film so powerful and so raw that I don’t think I’ll ever watch it again. In a strange way, it reminded me somewhat of Joachim Trier’s incredible Oslo, August 31st – I don’t wish to spoil either film, but if you’ve seen Oslo you’ll have some inkling of what I mean. EO is a film full of awe and wonder, yes, but it also carries its fair share of meanness. For some, this might be what makes the movie; for others, it may do the opposite. I find myself falling somewhere in the middle: I understand why the film goes the way it does, but I wanted so desperately for things to go in a different direction. But then again, this is the film’s ultimate point, and part of what makes Skolimowski such a celebrated filmmaker: his refusal to compromise. Make no mistake, EO is a visceral work of cinema that’s absolutely worth your time – just make sure you know what you’re getting yourself in for.
EO - released in cinemas 3 February.
OUTSIDERS AND EXILES: THE FILMS OF JERZY SKOLIMOWSKI, presented in partnership with the 21st Kinoteka Polish Film Festival runs at BFI Southbank from 27 March – 30 April.